An examination of neighborhood youth services and acculturation as protective factors against drug use for Mexican-American middle school students

Acculturation, as measured by language use, has shown promise for understanding differences in drug use among Mexican-American youth. However, research of neighborhood youth services as a protective factor against drug use is scarce. This study assesses acculturation and neighborhood youth services as possible protective factors against drug use for Mexican-American middle school students. The sample consists of 652 Mexican-American seventh graders from one school district within a large southwestern city in the United States. Language use is utilized as a proxy measure for acculturation status. Students were stratified into three levels of acculturation (low, moderate, high) based on language use with family and friends. Neighborhoods are defined by school catchment areas. Youth services information was collected for each neighborhood through in-person and phone interviews of youth service providers. Determining neighborhood youth services as a protective factor against drug use was based on location of service only. This study examines youth resilience against drug use, which is explained from an ecological-systems perspective.;Hierarchical linear modeling and spatial analysis are used to examine differences across acculturation groups within the sample. Neighborhood differences based on acculturation status, drug use, participation in school activities, and neighborhood youth services are examined. Maps of the school district were created with use of geographic information systems software.;Results show that less acculturated students have lower rates of drug use, while high-acculturated students have the highest rate of drug use. Spatial analysis revealed that bilingual drug use rates are lower in areas with higher percentages of monolingual.;Spanish speaking students. This suggests that the protective quality of language use may extend beyond the individual student. As per the data, youth services did not have an impact on drug use despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary.;Students limited in their use of English are likely to have peer networks restricted to those with similar experiences and norms, thus lowering potential for drug use. Limitations of language use as a measure for acculturation are highlighted. Implications for social work and recommendations for future research on neighborhood youth services are discussed.